This invention relates to polybutadiene (meth)acrylates, and compositions comprising such polymers, methods of preparation, and methods of use.
Polybutadiene (meth)acrylates are well known articles of commerce. Examples include CN301, CN302 and CN303 from Sartomer Company. These products are used in radiation or peroxide cured inks, coatings, adhesives, printing plates and other applications. Beneficial properties imparted by these materials include high flexibility, low Tg, hydrophobicity, chemical resistance and adhesion to substrates. One drawback of these products is that they have limited stability with respect to premature crosslinking or gellation which has limited their use. In addition, the hydroxy terminated polybutadiene resin, these products are based on, have terminal allylic alcohol groups that are unstable under the conditions that are typically used to prepare (meth)acrylate esters. Urethane (meth)acrylates based on hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene with alkylene oxide derived terminal hydroxyl groups have been described (U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,201; U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,066; Japanese Unexamined Patent 2002-371101, and references cited therein).